I wrote an article a while back stating why I thought Googles Chromebook might just work and it seams that the general public is beginning to agree with me. As of the end of 2013 Googles Chromebook has achieved 10% market share which is remarkable considering it had 0.2% the previous year. So who has actually bought them?

In the consumer market (ie home users) the tablet and smartphones are king at the moment and I would suggest that these users are not the ones warming to the Chromebooks. If that is the case then it must be businesses who are buying them. If businesses are indeed buying them then I suggest Microsoft should be worried. The reason? A lot of applications are now becoming web based and businesses (and individuals) are re-evaluating if they need a full blown Windows laptop in the workplace. The workplace has been Microsofts heartland for decades but if Chromebook’s are indeed making inroads then that will hit Microsofts bottom line.

A lot of businesses still use “traditional” software like Microsoft Office and will decide to stick with Windows laptops and PC’s but with Office 365 and Google Apps now becoming more widely adopted even they might start to wonder if they really require a full blown desktop OS. Don’t rule out the power of cloud storage too.

Even Microsoft’s OEM partners are throwing their weight behind the Chromebook with new models coming from both Lenovo and HP in recent months. If manufacturers didn’t think there was any money in making them they wouldnt so this in itself should be stirring Microsofts executives.

Microsoft and Windows are not going anywhere soon but I think the early signs of serious competition to their desktop dominance are there.

About the Author

Hi I’m Chris Wakefield the owner of ComTech IT Support. I provide Windows and Linux based IT Support, laptop repairs and computer repairs to both business and personal clients in Stirling and Falkirk.

One thought on “Should Microsoft be worried about the Chromebook?”

Microsoft needs to focus on what they do the best, and where most of their profits come from: The Enterprise. This has served them well in the past, and since the new CEO is from that division it should serve them well in the future.
The Chromebook is mainly aimed at schools, universities and colleges, and they really love it. The only storage is in the Google cloud, and as such any businesses who uses it for business needs to have a Google Business account, and move all their email and apps to the cloud. This isn’t too big of a deal for the educational sector, and they buy thousands of them at a time. Microsoft has never been too big in the educational sector, and any software they sell to the educational sector is too discounted to give them much of a profit.
As such, no, Microsoft shouldn’t be worried about the Chromebook until Google’s services are on par with and as flexible as having your own servers, and more businesses stray to Google instead of having their own Microsoft systems.